Numerous proposals for designing such deformation elements are known, which are situated, in particular, between main chassis beams of a vehicle body and a bumper cross member, and are intended specifically to reduce impact energy during a vehicle crash. Such tubular deformation elements, made mostly of sheet steel, are designed in such a way that a reduction in energy may take place as a result of selective weak points, such as undulations, indentations, abrupt changes in diameter in which the tube sections are subsequently pushed one on top of the other, etc. Hence, as the deformation energy is reduced, a deformation of the deformation elements occurs.
As an alternative, the deformation energy may be reduced not as a result of deformation but rather as a result of the deformation element breaking apart. For this purpose, the deformation element may be provided with predetermined breaking points at which no material deformation takes place, but rather the deformation element breaks apart into separate breaking segments as the deformation energy is reduced. Of these, for example, one breaking segment facing the crash may be displaced over the further course of the crash, while one breaking segment facing away from the crash remains fixed to the vehicle body.